Category: General News

Canadian Mennonite University rates at top among 28 universities

Post author By CMU
Post date February 24, 2015

CMU’s students give top marks to faculty, academics, and community

Canadian Mennonite University students have given top marks to the faculty, academics, and community at the university.

A Maclean’s Magazine feature published this month gives a snapshot of the 2014 Canadian University Survey Consortium’s (CUSC) findings, in which CMU placed in the Top Four out of 28 universities in four categories highlighted in the article.

The statements reflect how students feel about their professors and how comfortable they feel at their university.

Link to Maclean's Magazine article — Link to Maclean’s Magazine article

When presented with the statement, “Generally, I am satisfied with the quality of teaching I have received,” 58 per cent of respondents from CMU said that they strongly agree—earning CMU the top spot out of the 28 universities surveyed.

Student responses to the statement, “Most of my professors treat students as individuals, not just numbers,” also put CMU at #1.

CMU placed second when students were presented with the statement, “Most of my professors are intellectually stimulating in their teaching,” and fourth when presented with the statement, “I feel as if I belong at this university.”

To obtain the results, the CUSC administered an online questionnaire to a random sample of middle-years students at each school.

CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls says she is deeply encouraged by the way CMU students ranked their university.

“This affirmation is a form of gratitude, and helps us to keep providing this quality of education,” Pauls says. “We consider mentorship to be vital to the learning students receive, and the survey demonstrates that students see and appreciate that faculty take them seriously as individuals both inside and beyond the classroom.”

“I’m persuaded that our students will show a similar interest and care to others based on how they have been taught,” Pauls adds. “That bolsters our courage and humility at the same time.”

To view the Maclean’s Magazine article, visit www.cmu.ca/macleans.

About CMU

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags Canadian University Survey Consortium, Cheryl Pauls, CUSC, Maclean's, Maclean's Magazine, student satisfaction

Events General News News Releases

CMU professor’s new book traces the history of Mennonites in California

Post author By CMU
Post date February 12, 2015

Book launch set for Wednesday, February 25 at McNally Robinson

A new book by a Canadian Mennonite University professor explores the experience of Mennonites in California.

Written by Dr. Brian Froese, Associate Professor of History at CMU, California Mennonites is available in stores now. A Winnipeg book launch event is planned for Wednesday, February 25 at 7:00 PM at McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Ave.).

2015-02-11 - California Mennonites by Brian Froese 01 The book traces the history of Mennonites in the Golden State from the nineteenth-century migrants who came in search of sunshine and fertile soil, to the traditionally agrarian community that struggled with issues of urbanization, race, gender, education, and labour in the twentieth century, to the evangelically-oriented, partially-assimilated Mennonites of today.

“What makes the California story fascinating to me is that, unlike many of the other Mennonite immigration stories, this one has very little to do with religion itself,” Froese says. “It is primarily for economic betterment, whether it’s escaping the depression of the 1890s or the 1930s, and it’s also a question of people pursuing physical healing and health.”

Froese places Mennonite experiences against a backdrop of major historical events, including World War II and Vietnam, and social issues, from labor disputes to the evolution of mental health care.

“It’s a book that speaks to the experience of people who are not just Mennonite and not just living in California,” Froese says. “This is a case study that looks at what happens when a small, ethno-religious group that is mission-minded finds itself in a rapidly changing environment that is marked by modernity, urbanization, and secularization.”

Three primary strategies emerged as California Mennonites strove to keep their identity intact: some embraced the twentieth-century American evangelicalism of Billy Graham; some reclaimed their Anabaptist heritage rooted in sixteenth-century ideals like pacifism, congregationalism, and discipleship; and others committed to a type of social justice that saw them working with the government to bring quiet transformation to Californian society.

One thing that makes the California Mennonite experience unique, Froese says, is that it is dominated by the Mennonite Brethren.

“This is one place where the Mennonite Brethren are more numerous, and much more influential, than other larger national Mennonite denominations,” Froese says.

He adds that Mennonites everywhere, regardless of their location or exact denominational affiliation, will be able to learn something from the book.

Dr. Brian Froese, author of California Mennonites, will host a February 25 book launch event at McNally Robinson

Ultimately, California Mennonites is a story about a people grappling with what it means to be good citizens and good Christians.

“The places may be different, and some of what’s going on of course is different from today, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from, be inspired by, or be cautioned by the experience of our co-religionists in other places,” Froese says.

“It’s no different than reading about the sixteenth century Anabaptists and learning from their experience in those contexts.”

Froese has taught at CMU since 2005. In the past, he has published articles on the Anabaptist vision; archival research and pedagogy; and, popular eschatologies from the horror of Left Behind, dystopic California in evangelical fiction, and lyrics of U2 and Black Sabbath.

California Mennonites is his first book.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags Book Launch, Brian Froese, California Mennonites

Events General News News Releases

CMU Alumna Returns to Campus as Pastor-in-Residence

Post author By CMU
Post date January 26, 2015

‘I have fond memories of my time at CMU,’ says Tabitha VandenEnden

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to welcome Tabitha VandenEnden as Pastor-in-Residence this week.

VandenEnden, co-pastor at Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church in St. Catherines, ON, will be on campus Monday, January 26 until Friday, January 30.

Tabitha VandenEnden, co-pastor at Grantham Mennonite Brethren Church in St. Catherines, ON, will be CMU’s Pastor-in-Residence from January 26 -30.

VandenEnden, who graduated from CMU in 2010 with a Master of Arts in Theology, and also worked as the coordinator of the university’s chapel program, is looking forward to being back on campus.

“I have fond memories of my time at CMU,” she says. “I grew my faith and was challenged to think more critically about what I believed, and it was all in an environment where people challenged you, but you could trust them at the same time.”

Now in its fifth year, CMU’s Pastor-in-Residence program is designed to encourage out-of-province pastors to live in residence, participate in the life of the CMU community, and share their faith experiences in a variety of settings including CMU chapel sessions.

“It’s really nice to have someone from the broader church constituency offer what they’re passionate about and provide pastoral care for that one week,” says Melanie Unger, Spiritual Life Facilitator at CMU, adding that the Pastor-in-Residence program also helps build connections between CMU and the churches that support it.

“The Pastor-in-Residence comes as a gift from their home church,” says Unger, noting that the church pays for the pastor’s flight to Winnipeg as well as their salary while they are at CMU. “It’s a huge way the church can get involved in the mission of CMU. Every time a pastor comes, we feel a connection with that particular congregation. It’s a wonderful gift.”

VandenEnden has co-pastored Grantham with her husband, Michael, since 2010. Michael also completed a Master of Arts in Theology at CMU.

Before joining the Mennonite Brethren church, the couple’s respective faith journeys took them through diverse Christian traditions, ranging from Baptist to Pentecostal to Roman Catholic.

While studying at CMU, VandenEnden’s thesis focused on the interrelatedness of worship and mission, and how current worship practices often diminish or distort this connection—particularly with the Lord’s Supper.

Her thesis work has led the couple to integrate new practices at Grantham that have helped the community grow into a better understanding of the relationship between the Lord’s Supper and loving our neighbour, VandenEnden says.

This has meant celebrating the Lord’s Supper the first Sunday of every month; sharing a potluck meal for lunch as a congregation after the service; and bringing the bread and juice to the church’s shut-ins so that they can partake in the Lord’s Supper and maintain a connection to Grantham.

“We’ve tried to extend the table in those ways to forge deeper connections between Christ’s sacrifice and how that brings us together as a community,” VandenEnden says.

She is currently enjoying a year of maternity leave with her three boys, Job, Titus, and Felix. The entire family will be on campus with VandenEnden during the week.

VandenEnden is eager to connect with the CMU community, and is particularly excited about speaking with students who are thinking about becoming pastors.

“I’m looking forward to being able to talk about some of the highlights of ministry, and some of the challenges,” she says.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Melanie Unger, Spiritual Life Facilitator
munger@cmu.ca; 204-487-3300 ext. 377
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags pastor-in-residence, Tabitha VandenEnden

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CMU Announces Recipient of $10,000 Redekop School of Business Scholarship

Post author By CMU
Post date November 25, 2014

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce that Artem Coste has been awarded a 4-year, $10,000 Redekop School of Business Scholarship.

This award is given to a student with high academic standing who meets Redekop School of Business (RSB) program requirements.

Coste (center) at the 2014 MFBC Business Council Awards Gala with MFBC President Jon Reyes (left)
and CMU’s VP, Academic Gordon Zerbe.
*Photo by AJ Batac.*

RSB develops the potential of future business leaders to bring together sound business practice with commitments of faith, generosity, and service. RSB’s goal is to prepare students to become engaged in business and not-for-profit organizations, with a worldview and character shaped within a Christian university community.

Coste is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in Accounting. He attributes his interest in studying business to his family, which operates a business and owns farmland in the Philippines.

In his first year of studies, Coste says he was interested in studying at CMU because of the small class sizes, which allow for “an easier way to communicate with professors.” He also appreciates being part of a community with people who share the same faith as he does. Coste is a member of the CMU Blazers basketball team.

Coste received recognition of his award at the Manitoba Filipino Business Council Awards Gala, which took place in mid-October.

Events General News News Releases

CMU invites community to celebrate the grand opening of Marpeck Commons

Post author By CMU
Post date November 21, 2014

‘We are honoured to open this spectacular space,’ says university president

Canadian Mennonite University will celebrate the grand opening of Marpeck Commons, CMU’s new library, learning commons, and bridge, on Saturday, November 29.

The public is invited to join CMU staff, faculty, and students at 2299 Grant Ave. for the grand opening celebration from 1:30 PM to 2:15 PM. An open house is scheduled for 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

“We are honoured to open this spectacular space to the university community and the communities surrounding CMU,” says CMU President Cheryl Pauls. “Marpeck Commons will be the hub of the campus and of a vibrant learning community. It’s a great place for formal and informal gathering, and we’re excited about the quality of conversation and study that will happen there.”

Pauls adds that the bridge offers coherence to the CMU campus by providing students, staff, and guests a safe and accessible way across Grant Ave.

Central to Marpeck Commons is the library. The library is vital to CMU’s effectiveness in connecting students with one another and with the expertise and mentoring of faculty, librarians, and staff.

“CMU’s capacity to connect students with one another and with faculty, librarians, staff, and surrounding communities enables the university to live out its mission of inspiring and equipping women and men for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society,” Pauls says.

Vic Froese, Library Director, is excited to see the library open. “It will invite students and others to come to a place where we have a fine collection of good resources and resourcing expertise,” Froese says.

Marpeck Commons also houses CommonWord, a book and resource centre created in partnership with Mennonite Church Canada that will allow users to buy, borrow, and download a wide range of resources, as well as a coffee and snack bar called Folio Café.

Marpeck Commons is named after Pilgram Marpeck, a 16th century Anabaptist leader and civil engineer whose writings emphasize Christian love, the pursuit of peace, and active pursuit of justice before God and among all people.

Designed by ft3 and constructed under the direction of Concord Projects, Marpeck Commons includes a range of environmentally conscious and energy-saving initiatives that have been integrated into both the interior and exterior construction.

See the construction of Marpeck Commons from beginning to end (photo album)

The Commons lies on a designated Manitoba Heritage site, between two Winnipeg treasures: Assiniboine Park and a large urban forest. The site design of the CMU campus complements these green city spaces.

Construction on the project began in July 2013, funded by the CONNECT fundraising campaign under the leadership of Campaign Chair Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting. To date, $13-million has been committed toward the campaign’s $14.4-million goal.

Immediately following the grand opening program on November 29, the public is invited to Christmas at CMU at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Create your own concert with family, friends, and neighbours while enjoying music, festive décor, cookies, and hot apple cider. Admission is free.

In addition to the grand opening, media are invited to an open house on Friday, November 28 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Members of the media will have the opportunity to tour Marpeck Commons with Pauls and other CMU personnel on hand to answer questions.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags CMU Library and Learning Commons, CommonWord, CONNECT, CONNECT Campaign, Folio Cafe, Grand Opening, library, Marpeck Commons

Events General News News Releases Uncategorized

Ryan Dueck Visits CMU as Pastor-in-Residence

Post author By CMU
Post date October 30, 2014

‘I’m looking forward to hearing people’s stories,’ Lethbridge pastor says

Ryan Dueck, pastor at Lethbridge Mennonite Church in Lethbridge, AB, will visit Canadian Mennonite University as Pastor-in-Residence from Monday, November 3 to Friday, November 7.

Dueck is eager to connect with CMU students.

“Young adulthood is a really… interesting phase of life where so much is up for grabs,” he says. “It’s pretty cool to have even a small window into people’s lives.”

“The goal has always been to have the pastor come and serve in our community so that our students, staff, and faculty are cared for by an outside person,” says Melanie Unger, Spiritual Life Facilitator at CMU, adding that hopefully, the week is refreshing for the visiting pastor as well. “It’s about building relationships with our church constituency.”

CMU’s Ryan Dueck, pastor at Lethbridge Mennonite Church in Lethbridge, AB will be CMU’s pastor-in-residence from November 3-7.

Dueck has been the pastor at Lethbridge Mennonite Church since 2011. Prior to that, he served for three years as associate pastor at Neighbourhood Church, a Mennonite Brethren congregation in Nanaimo, BC.

Dueck grew up on a farm in southern Alberta and says he never imagined that he would become a pastor. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy at the University of Lethbridge and then a Master of Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver, he thought he might pursue further studies.

A handful of people close to Dueck encouraged him to work in the church. Dueck recalls a conversation with his thesis advisor at Regent during which he shared that he wasn’t impressed with some of the pastors he had encountered growing up.

“Maybe your job is to be the pastor you wish you had,” Dueck’s thesis advisor suggested.

Afterward, Dueck decided to pursue ministry. Given his passion for academia, he says he is naturally drawn to the cerebral aspects of being a minister, such as researching, writing, and preparing sermons.

Over the past six years, however, he has come to appreciate simply being able to hear and be a part of people’s stories.

“As a pastor, you’re invited into some of the most frightening and most holy moments of people’s lives, and that’s an honour I didn’t fully appreciate until I became a pastor,” he says.

Since 2007, Dueck has maintained a blog called “Rumblings.” The blog includes reflection and conversation about various topics related to the intersection of faith and culture.

Dueck is married to Naomi, and the couple has 13-year-old twins. When he isn’t working or spending time with his family, Dueck enjoys playing soccer, hockey, and riding his motorcycle in the mountains.

He is anticipating meaningful conversations during his week at CMU.

“As human beings, we learn and grow when we have an opportunity to have our stories rub off on each other a little bit,” Dueck says. “I’m looking forward to hearing people’s stories.”

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags pastor-in-residence, Ryan Dueck

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CMU announces recipient of first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship

Post author By CMU
Post date September 24, 2014

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce that Jonah Langelotz has been awarded the first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship.

Dr. Robert Janzen was particularly interested in the environmental aspects and impacts of agriculture. Janzen pursued his interests through studies at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, University of Manitoba, and University of Alberta, where he received his doctorate in soil science. A hard working farmer and steward of the land, Janzen supported agricultural communities around the world by sharing his expertise with farmers.

Students qualifying for this $1,000 scholarship demonstrate inter-disciplinary interest in courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, International Development, Biology, Biblical/Theological Studies and are involved with CMU’s market garden/farm and in connecting this experience with their studies.

The annual scholarship is awarded to a student entering their 3^rd or 4^th year of studies and who is exploring some combination of: land use and ethics, rural-urban land issues, agricultural capacity building, soil biodiversity and nutrient cycles, environmental sustainability, and urban agriculture.

Jonah Langelotz, the first recipient of the Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship

Recipient Jonah Langelotz is entering the 4th year of his International Development Studies (IDS) degree and completed his practicum this summer by working at a small-scale organic farm in southern Manitoba. He says he’s “very interested in exploring the hands-on aspects of farming” and how the topics of agriculture and the environment connect with international development.

Kenton Lobe, a member of the selection committee and an instructor of International Development at CMU, says that Langelotz wrestles with the broad questions of food justice, and at the same time, reflects on the application of those questions in the local context.

“Jonah reflects a kind of student who is wrestling with the ‘out there-ness’ of IDS,” says Lobe. “It’s not simply ‘out there’ that we ask questions of justice but also in our own lives.”

Lobe says Langelotz’s practicum choice was one way for him to reflect on the question of “how agriculture and food systems connect into questions of sustainability.”

Langelotz is interested in learning more about the impacts of agricultural policy for small-scale farmers, a topic which he explored in his scholarship application essay. In Seeking Justice on the Land and in Local Markets, Langelotz asks questions about the food system, agricultural policies and structures, and connects his interest in these areas to his faith, which he says includes caring for creation.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags Janzen Memorial Scholarship, Jonah Langelotz, Scholarships

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New book explores the portrayal of clergy in literature and film

Post author By CMU
Post date September 8, 2014

Professor hopes book will reach a wide audience, serve the church

Winnipeg – How does the portrayal of clergy in secular culture affect the church? What are the cultural factors that might make the ministry a hard sell? And have literary and cinematic works been misrepresentative, misleading or even harmful?

These are some of the questions at the heart of The Collar: Reading Christian Ministry in Fiction, Television, and Film, a new book by Sue Sorensen, Associate Professor of English at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).

The Collar combines thematic analysis and close readings to create what publisher Cascade Books describes as, “a wide-ranging study of the many ways—heroic or comic, shrewd or dastardly—Christian ministers have been represented in literature and film.”

Sorensen adds that The Collar is a good intersection of her interests in church, literature, and film.

“These are all things that profoundly affect me,” she says.

Concentrating on works from Canada, the United States and England, Sorensen explores a variety of novels, plays, TV, and movies—from The Scarlet Letter to Footloose—to make inquiries about “pastoral passion, frustration, and fallibility.”

Sorensen says that one of her personal incentives for working through the clerical references in literature and film is that many people she knows, including her husband, are members of the clergy.

She notes that ministers are often portrayed as conservative, out of touch and repressed—a description that does not fit the church leaders she knows.

When she began work on the book, Sorensen could think of many negative portrayals of Christian ministers in literature and film, and hoped she would find more positive portrayals in her research.

However, some of the books she found most heartening included portrayals of pastors who were failures, but good failures—characters who were deeply flawed human beings but trying their best to serve God and the church.

“I did not find heroic, positive role models, but I think I found something better,” Sorensen says.

While it may seem contradictory, Sorenson’s style in The Collar is both scholarly and accessible. She hopes the book reaches a wide audience, so that the average person in the pew can pick it up and read it.

Ultimately, Sorensen wants The Collar to be of service to the church. As she notes in the book, all Christians are ministers.

“Most of us do not think of ourselves in this manner from day to day, but unconsciously we must be studying pastoral actions and attitudes for models of what we should be doing or not be doing.”

An active member of First Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, Sorensen is the author of a novel, A Large Harmonium, and the editor of West of Eden: Essays on Canadian Prairie Literature. She has written about contemporary British literature, detective fiction, film, popular music, children’s writing, and is also a published poet.

The Collar is available in stores now. A Winnipeg book launch event is planned for Sunday, October 5 at 2:00 PM at McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Ave.).

Visit www.suesorensen.net.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and its Menno Simons College and programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags Book, Sue Sorensen, The Collar

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CMU Recognizes Distinguished Alumni with 2014 Blazer Awards

Post author By CMU
Post date September 3, 2014

Winnipeg – A woman who has spent more than 30 years working for justice in Israel-Palestine, the executive director of an organization that serves low-income people in need of support, a pastor-turned-TV producer who volunteers with people who have Alzheimer’s, and a Congolese immigrant who helps newcomers to Canada are the recipients of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) 2014 Blazer Distinguished Alumni Awards.

CMU President Cheryl Pauls is pleased to present the awards to Kathy Bergen, John Neufeld, Lorlie Barkman, and Odette Mukole on Saturday, September 27 during the Opening Program ceremony at the university’s Fall Festival.

The Blazer Awards are presented annually to alumni from CMU and its predecessor colleges: Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) and Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC)/Concord College. The awards celebrate alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU’s values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

“We are humbled and inspired by the honour and care all four of these alumni extend to people who are often marginalized,” Pauls says. “We give these awards to thank them for the example of their lives.”

Pauls will present the awards during CMU’s Opening Program at 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 27 in CMU’s Loewen Athletic Centre as part of CMU’s Fall Festival.

Earlier that day, the public is invited to meet and interact with Bergen, Neufeld, Barkman, and Mukole during an event at 4:00 PM in CMU’s Laudamus Auditorium. During this hour, the award recipients will reflect on their personal and professional journeys. There will be time for questions and interaction.

Information about the 2014 award recipients:

For the past 32 years, Kathy Bergen (CMBC ’72) has dedicated her life to working for justice in Israel-Palestine. Bergen lived in Jerusalem from the time of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 until after the Gulf War in 1991, working with MCC. Her career includes seven years as the program coordinator for the Friends International Center in Ramallah, a Quaker ministry in the West Bank, and 12 years as national coordinator of the Middle East Program of the Peacebuilding Unit for the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that works for peace and justice around the world.

A 1995 graduate of CMBC, John Neufeld earned a Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto and worked for 11 years in foster care. After completing a Master of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier, he took on his current role as executive director at House of Friendship, a Kitchener, ON-based organization whose mission is to serve low-income adults, youth, and children in need of support. “I think it’s critical to our common humanity that we all feel we belong, so I want to be engaged in work that makes people feel they belong,” he says.

Pastor and television producer are two titles on Lorlie Barkman’s resume. Barkman (MBBC ’90) spent 15 years with Family Life Network, a communications arm of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba, where he co-created a family TV series called “The Third Story” that aired across much of Canada. Before and after his time in TV, Barkman worked as a pastor. Now retired, Barkman enjoys volunteering in seniors homes, where he does a form of art therapy for people with Alzheimer’s by drawing pictures of memories that they share with him. “The Lord has kindly provided many mercies – guidance, forgiveness, encouragement, love,” Barkman says. “I’m very grateful to God.”

Concern for her family’s safety motivated Odette Mukole to move to Canada from the Congo with her three daughters in 2000. She graduated from CMU in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Social Science and currently works as a case coordinator at Family Dynamics, a not-for-profit, community-based agency in downtown Winnipeg that helps newcomers to Canada adjust to life in a new country. “I really like what I’m doing, helping people and making sure they get what they need,” she says. “And when I talk to clients, it’s from my own experience.”

About CMU A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has more than 1,700 students, including Menno Simons College and Outtatown students, and is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca. Media contact: Kevin Kilbrei, CMU Communications & Marketing Director kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621 Canadian Mennonite University 500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

Tags Alumni Awards, Blazer Awards, Distinguished Alumni, Fall Festival, John Neufeld, Kathy Bergen, Lorlie Barkman, Odette Mukole

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CMU Announces Its 2014 Leadership Scholarship Winners

Post author By CMU
Post date July 8, 2014

Four outstanding young women have been awarded CMU’s Leadership Scholarship: Kayla Drudge, a homeschool graduate from Winnipeg; Tegan Radcliffe, a Rivers Collegiate graduate from Cardale, MB; Laura Carr-Pries of Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Waterloo, ON; and Jasmine Bhullar of Miles MacDonell Collegiate in Winnipeg.

leadershipscholarshipwinners — CMU’s 2014 Leadership Scholarship winners: (clockwise from top left) Kayla Drudge, Tegan Radcliffe, Jasmine Bhullar, and Laura Carr-Pries

The Leadership Scholarship, worth up to $14,000 distributed over four years, is offered to recent high school grads displaying significant leadership ability, academic excellence, personal character, vision and a commitment to service. Preference is often given to students demonstrating a broad range of skills and interests.

Students applying for CMU’s Leadership Scholarship are required to provide a resume of their leadership involvement in a variety of areas, along with two letters of recommendation and an essay reflecting on a leader who inspires them.

Chosen leaders included Shane Claiborne, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, and every-day leaders from the winners’ personal lives.

All four of this year’s recipients demonstrated a strong grasp of the variable nature of leadership, and a commitment to leading in prominent or background capacities as needed with humility and grace. Some expressed a commitment to servant leadership within the church, and all share a love for sport, volunteering, and the arts.

Tags CMU Leadership Scholarship, scholarship